Bosie has so many wonderful local food options that you better schedule a few days in the city to accommodate all the must-experience meals. I have a fondness for locally grown farm to fork restaurants, and I found plenty to enjoy. Bittercreek Alehouse is an environmentally conscious pub that offers a locally sourced farm to table menu and extensive range of microbrews on tap.
I’m vegetarian and my son is omnivore, and we both loved our food at Bittercreek. My son can put away about 200% more than I can, and I love to watch him enjoy a meal. He’s not picky about food, but he’s picky about the quality of the food (I am too), and I’ve seen him push away entire plates because it wasn’t up to par. He won’t tell me why until later, but he knows good food. And oh when he likes a meal, it’s a joy to see the food-angels dancing around his head. This was one of those meals.
The Patio
Bittercreek’s patio is cozy and a great place to be on a summer afternoon or evening. They have a huge awning that shades the space on extra hot days and there are trees and other foliage that occupy the surroundings.
The Beer
I tried three beers including Culture Clash and Mango Dagger, which is a sour beer and something I’ve only experienced once before at a sour beer specific brewery in Denver. Ulitmately I settled on the mild Saison Farmhouse Ale, which I found refreshing and a good choice for a hot summer day.
Salad
My salad was delicious, and my favorite part of the meal. The homemade Ranch Dressing and velvety fresh greens just melted in my mouth. There is something about salad and beer that for me just makes the perfect summer meal. Not all salads are created equal and the dressing has to be wonderful and the ingredients have to be super fresh for me to get excited about it. Done and done.
Bittercreek Burger
My son had the highly recommended Bittercreek Burger made with grass fed beef. Wait until you see what he ate at this meal. He didn’t leave a trace on his plate, he loved everything and ate every bite. He said it was excellent.
Calamari
He loves Squid and any time he sees it on a menu, he has to order it. He killed that whole plate in less than 10 minutes, saying it was squid-perfection.
Veggie Burger
I was so satisfied by my salad that I pretty much forced myself to order the Veggie Burger just so I could see what it was like. They are homemade and I was curious. I ate every bite. That Bigwood Idaho Potato bun was so good! I often pull the burger off the bun because it’s too much food for me, but this one was too delicious to miss. The burger is made with sweet potatoes and black beans and even the ketchup is house-made. The fries are local and organic.
Dessert
We each ordered a dessert, but guess who ate them? It’s rare to see my son devour an entire meal like he did at Bittercreek Alehouse. Okay, he also demolished this brunch in Boise, but really, it’s not a common thing for him to eat that much in one sitting. At Bittercreek, he went from start to finish with an appetizer, big burger with fries and two desserts. That was a record for sure.
Beignets
I did manage to snatch up a beignet and quite seriously, it was better than any beignet I’ve ever had in New Orleans. And that would be a lot of beignets. Classic ones like those at Cafe Du Monde, and beignets at more local NOLA joints. Bittercreek’s beignets are fluffy inside and have the exact right crispiness on the outside. Not at all greasy and did not sit like a brick in my stomach.
The Tiger
There’s a great story about how Bittercreek Alehouse came to be. In order to convince his would-be partner to open up a place in Boise, one of the owners jokingly promised to buy him a black tiger statue at some sort of auction. He finally agreed, and that is why there’s a big tiger behind the taps on the bar.
Besides working with and celebrating local and organic farms, Bittercreek Alehouse has other environmental programs. Like the composting worm farm in the basement. They compost their food and share the rich, mineral-filled earth with the community.
The Worm Farm
School kids get to tour the urban worm farm and learn about the importance of healthy soil and environmental stewardship. Bittercreek also does things like Low Power Happy Hour where they turn off all the lights and drink by candlelight to make reducing energy consumption fun.
Bittercreek Alehouse Bottom Line
Go hungry. We went after not eating all day and it hit the spot. We were so nourished, we didn’t eat after either, it was so satisfying and delicious. Try to sit on the patio and if you are indoors, be sure to note the cool tiger behind the bar. Find out more on the WEBSITE.
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- We were guests of Bittercreek, opinions are my own.
- Patio image courtesy of Google Creative Commons.
